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2005 NEWS
RETURN TO PRESS ROOM
Fort
Dobbs Reconstruction Research Unveiled
November
11, 2005
STATESVILLE,
NC - Significant new archaeology information on Fort Dobbs
State Historic Site in Statesville was unveiled by historical
archaeologist and East Carolina University history professor,
Dr. Larry Babits, at a press conference held at the Statesville
Civic Center.
Babits' remarks highlighted ways the
state historic site can use the new information in a planned
reconstruction of Fort Dobbs.
From 1967 to 1976, an extensive archaeological
study uncovered more than 5,000 artifacts and determined
the fort's exact location. Then, as one of only a handful
nationwide, North Carolina's single French and Indian War
fort opened as an official North Carolina Historic Site
in 1976.
Under the guidance of the Fort Dobbs Alliance,
a non-profit support group, the fort entered a redevelopment
phase in October 2003. In 2004, the alliance hired
Babits to examine and write an extensive report on historical
and archaeological records and artifacts relating to Fort
Dobbs. His presentations included:
- A
detailed map and aerial photograph of the Ft. Dobbs area
- Historical
background information relating to the time period and
the circumstances that led to the fort's construction
in the mid-1700s
- A
review of previous archaeological investigations
- An
analysis of the archaeological data collected from previous
investigations at the site
- Measured
plan drawings and maps that help illustrate the interpretations
offered in the report including a three dimensional drawing
of the fortification
The
completed report provides the starting point for the fort's
reconstruction. A commemoration of the fort's construction
will take place April 8, 2006.
The presentation was sponsored by Fort
Dobbs Alliance, Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce and
the Statesville Convention & Visitors Bureau. Special
guests included N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Secretary
Lisbeth Evans, NC State Historic Sites Director Kay Williams,
NC Historical Commission Chairman Dr. Jerry Cashion, NC Representative
Karen Ray, Iredell County Commission Chair Sara Haire Tice,
Iredell County Commissioners, Statesville Mayor-Elect Costi
Kutteh, Statesville City Council members, community business
leaders and major supporters of Fort Dobbs.
The Division of State Historic Sites is
part of the NC Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency
dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina's
arts, history and culture. For more information, visit http://www.ncdcr.gov.
French
and Indian War Program and Reenactments to be Presented at
Ft. Dobbs
March 29, 2005
STATESVILLE, NC - The year was 1755, the players were colonists
and Native Americans; the place was Ft. Dobbs, a small, rough-hewn
garrison on what was then North Carolina's wild western frontier.
Here the French and Indian War (1754-1760) was played out
in the long shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This pivotal
confrontation and its impact on North Carolina and the American
colonies will be recalled Saturday, April 16-Sunday, April
17 at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site near Statesville in the
free, public program "War for Empire: On the Frontier
with Waddell's Rangers 1755."
The weekend's activities will include a
reenactment of the a typical muster of "Waddell's Rangers"
at the fort, hardy frontier foods, a workshop on colonial
surveying (George Washington was a surveyor) for kids, a tomahawk
throwing contest, stories about what the rangers faced in
trying to protect the local colonists, a lecture on archaeology
discoveries at the fort, a candlelight tour of the fort site
and much more. Open to the public, the program will also feature
a Cherokee camp; woodworking, deer hide tanning and 18th-century
firearms demonstrations, plus colonial toys, music and games.
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